Fighting Rabies in Eastern Europe,the Middle East and Central Asia ‐ Experts Call for a Regional Initiative for Rabies Elimination |
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| Authors: | A Aikimbayev D Briggs G Coltan B Dodet F Farahtaj P Imnadze J Korejwo A Moiseieva N Tordo G Usluer R Vodopija N Vranje? |
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| Institution: | 1. Scientific and Practical Centre of Sanitary and Epidemiological Expertise and Monitoring, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, , Almaty, Kazakhstan;2. Global Alliance for Rabies Control, , Manhattan, KS, USA;3. National Infectious Diseases Institute “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, , Bucharest, Romania;4. Dodet Bioscience, , Lyon, France;5. WHO‐Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Rabies, Pasteur Institute of Iran, , Tehran, Iran;6. National Center for Disease Control, , Tbilisi, Georgia;7. Department MIBP and immunobiological prevention, Ministry of Health, , Kiev, Ukraine;8. Institut Pasteur, , Paris, France;9. Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Department, Medical Faculty, E?kisehir Osmangazi University, , E?kisehir, Turkey;10. Dr. Andrija ?tampar Institute of Public Health, , Zagreb, Croatia;11. Epidemiology Department, Pasteur Institute‐Novi Sad, , Novi Sad, Serbia |
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| Abstract: | MEEREB is an informal network of rabies experts from the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, seeking to eliminate rabies from the region. They met for the second time to review the current rabies situation, both globally and in their respective countries, highlighting current rabies control problems and potential solutions. Success stories in Latin America, in Western Europe, in some Asian countries, as well as in Croatia and Serbia prove that elimination of human rabies is achievable in the MEEREB region. It requires political willingness and cooperation of all stakeholders, including Ministries of Health and of Agriculture; adequate management of animal bites through post‐exposure prophylaxis; pre‐exposure prophylaxis for populations at high risk of rabies exposure, animal vaccination and humane control of stray dog populations. MEEREB members called for a regional initiative for rabies elimination in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. They are confident that the elimination of human rabies of canine origin can be achieved in the region through adopting a One Health approach, and that campaigns for rabies elimination will have significant benefit for public health, including strengthening the structure for control of other zoonoses. |
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| Keywords: | Rabies zoonosis rabies control public health programmes |
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